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Our Return To Austin, Texas…

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So I am sure all 3 or 4 readers of this site might have been wondering where I have been.  To all of you readers I owe you an explanation of where I have been.  The following is a blog about the adventure my wife and I took last week with friends.  I was not planning on writing anything about it so soon as I was supposed to be working but thanks to a 4.5 hour flight I am pretty sure I caught something from someone as I am not feeling so lovely today and chose to rest up rather than go back to the grind.

This blog has very little to do about music but I assure you there may be something worth reading below…plus pictures.  I took a lot of pictures. Many can be found on my MySpace profile…but I will share a couple here.

I have also decided to split this up into two parts.  I can only write so much…

In a nutshell my wife Annie and I went to visit our great friend in beautiful Austin to assist with an event and then traveled to San Francisco for a vacation of sorts.

Here we go…  I’m going make this more of a journal / diary post just to help me remember what the hell happened…

Wed. Oct. 22nd, 2008

After working a half shift at the day job I drove home, picked up the wife, took the dogs to my folks, and headed to the airport.  I was already stressing out a little bit as I found out at work that John McCain and Sarah Palin were throwing a rally at the high school of the town that my folks live in.  I was more freaking out at the fact that their flight was leaving at the same time that ours was at the Akron/Canton Airport and that meant a possible delay.  I hate delays.

Luckily we arrived to the airport well in advance and waited for our flight.  The McCain plane and the Palin plane (did they really need 2 planes???) left without any delay and we were soon on our way to our first destination for a few days, Austin, TX.

Our dear friend Morgan picked us up from the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport around 12am and took us to the city to find a 24/7 deli as we were starving.  After eating a tasty grilled cheese and some fried pickles we headed back to Morgan’s house where 13 dogs were waiting to meet us.  Yes, 13 dogs.

We arrived to her awesome house and were greeted by just about all of them.  Some were hers, some were her mother’s who lives next door, and some were being fostered until a good owner could be found.  I was in puppy overload and still have no idea what all of their names were.  All I know is that Frankie looked like Paris Hilton so I changed his name to Paris Hilton Dog.

Morgan then gave us a present.  Vegan cupcakes.  Yum.  Best cupcakes ever.  She got them from a bakery that recently shut down but still took some orders.  German chocolate vegan cupcakes = greatest idea ever.

We were all tired so we called it a night.

Thu. Oct. 23rd, 2008

Bella the chip stealer

I had a hard time sleeping so I woke up early and waiting for the girls to wake.  While doing so I hung out with Paris Hilton Dog and Elvis.  I finally was greeted by the lovely Annie and Morgan.  Morgan had a whole day of events planned out for us.  Even though about a year ago Annie and I invaded Austin we did not do too much as we were with a ton of folk.  Morgan wanted to make sure this time we got to see more and check out the cool spots of the city.  First things first though….breakfast tacos.

Oh yeah, we took Bella the teacup chihuahua out for the day too.  Can you say chick magnet?  I need me a teacup chihuahua…  Bella was awesome.  She melted in your hands and just loved to be carried.

Throughout the day we visited Morgan’s shop, an adult boutique store, checked out many vintage stores, and even hit up a section of town with various toy stores, candy shops, and consignment shops.  We met up with two of Morgan’s friends, Miles & Natalie, hit up some more shops, and then decided to grab a bite to eat at a nearby restaurant.  Turns out the restaurant we ate at was in the movie Death Proof.  Awesome.

The Mexican food in Austin tastes so much better and it should as Mexico is just a tad South, but I am sure you knew that.  I got these giant nachos, three to be specific.  They were full of goodness and I devoured them.

Natalie & Annie

Morgan needed to get back to her store for a moment so we all headed back and hung out there for a minute.  We parted ways with her friends as one needed to get ready for her evening and the other needed to get back to his city.

Morgan then stated she had a surprise for us, “bro tattoos” for myself, Annie, and Morgan.  Annie was in on it of course…I did not mind though.  We all headed across town to Triple Crown Tattoos and got our “bro tattoos”.  This is the second time the three of us have done something like this as earlier this year we all got Ol’ Dirty Bastard cupcakes tattooed in us while in the Bronx.  I am not revealing this time what we got.  I am sure the girls would be quick to show them off, they are after all hilarious.  I choose to keep the shock value and will show as many individuals as I can just to see their reaction.  Just ask, I have no shame!!!

A little sore, and a lot tired, the three of us headed back to the doggie kingdom for a nap.  We had plans at 11:00 that evening in downtown Austin and really needed to be awake for it.

Great tattoo shop

I am pro-Austin if you can not tell.  I fell in love with the city the first time we visited it.  Not only is the music scene incredible there, but the folk there are friendly, the weather is nice, and there is so much to do as a visitor or resident.

One day I hope to be a resident there.  One of the millions of reasons why I wish Austin was my hometown was the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.  If you like movies and more this place is for you.  We came there for Terror Thursdays and waited in line for a free viewing of Slumber Party Massacre.

Normally I hate theaters because it is cramped when sold out and just not comfortable in general but I like the Drafthouse.  Each row has a long bar table in front of it because you can order food while watching the movie.  It was like no other theater I have been to.  The MC of the evening gave a little history about the flick before it started and then it was time for the feature.  The movie was a horrible as the first time I saw it but more enjoyable as laughter filled the theater when something that was supposed to scare you appeared corny.  I was glad I got to be there.  Unexpected fun.

We all headed back to Morgan’s as two of her other friends were driving into town to meet up with us…well actually four if you include their dogs.  I could not stay up so I joined Annie in sleepy land and heard Aaron and Ashley arrive to Morgan’s around 5am with their Boston Terriers Elvira and Boris.

Fri. Oct. 24th, 2008

Boris & Elvira

I woke up early, shocking, and introduced myself to Aaron who couldn’t seem to sleep well either.  Once everyone was up we tried to grab some breakfast at a place nearby but were too early so we ventured just down the street and found more of a diner of sorts where I got something I never thought was possible…cottage cheese filled pancakes with ginger.  Don’t knock them till you try them.

Elvis

After filling our bellies we went to a few more shops in the area and then took a pit stop at the house.  Aaron and I decided we wanted to go into town and the girls wanted to nap.  We split ways and headed to Waterloo Records, one of the greatest record shops I have ever been to.  There was so much there I wanted to buy but I suppressed my urges and spent less than $20.  I am pretty sure I could have maxed out a credit card there.

Time was flying by quickly and we needed to head back to the house to pick up everyone to help set up with Morgan’s event.  As previously mentioned, Morgan owns an adult boutique called Sinsations and for the past couple years she throws an erotic carnival, a benefit event with all proceeds donated to AIDS Services of Austin.  This was our second time going to this event and after last years I promised Morgan that Annie and I would be back to help in 2008.  I am a man of my word and made sure we were there.

We arrived at Red 7 and set up for the amazing evening that was about to happen.  After setting up the silent auction section and securing some spots for games we headed once again back home, rested, ate some amazing Vietnamese food, and headed back to Red 7.

Mr. Lewis & the Funeral 5

By the time we arrived people were slowly entering.  We made final preparations, I armed myself with my camera, and before I knew it the place was jamming.

Sexy ladies performing burlesque shows, fire dancers, and Mr. Lewis & The Funeral 5 entertained all who attended.  There were adult games, silent auctions, and even a raffle.  The venue was 18+ but nothing got out of hand, even Austin has laws.  All types of people where there too making for an interesting gathering.  Some knew what was going and were there from start to finish while others randomly walked in from the street just looking for something different.

The wonderful Morgan

As if the event was not exciting enough, things wrapped up around 1:30am and as we were packing things up into the car we all witnessed a hit and run.  A drunk driver in a large truck chose to run a red light and plowed into an innocent driver and then continued onward forgetting his bumper in the intersection.  The Blazer that was hit spun in the street and crashed into a parked vehicle.  The victim of the incident was unarmed, but in shock.  The police were called and soon ambulances came to check on anyone who was involved.

Fire Dancing

If that was not enough we all heard a commotion just a few moments later and watched as someone pushed a motorcycle that was parked next to the accident to the ground and then got in a tussle.  Drunks.  That is all I could think of.  Then again it should not have been shocking as Red 7 is located in an area where the streets are shut down in the evening and are filled with folk, mostly college students, just looking to have some fun.  Don’t let that discourage you…they are supervised.  Plenty of law enforcement surround the area keeping law and order.

Exhausted, drained, beat…you get the point.  The event marked our last full day in Austin as well as the center of our vacation.  Saturday afternoon we were to catch a flight to San Francisco.  Time to catch up on some sleep.

Sat. Oct. 25th, 2008

After slowly waking up we all crammed into a vehicle and went back to a restaurant we tried to have breakfast on Friday and this time they were open.  As we ate we sat and talked about the carnival as well as the future.  All of us, minus Morgan of course, agreed of having plans to be a resident of Austin one day.  Whether that happens or not is to be determined in the future.  It is not that far around the corner though and is completely plausible.

Aaron and Ashley were kind enough to take us to the airport where Annie and I took one flight and Morgan took another to San Francisco….

More of our San Francisco experience to come….soon….until then, enjoy some more pictures…

90's, Interview, Music, Music Video, Post-Hardcore, Random, Rock, Times Of Yore

Stompbox Bassist Tells His Story

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One of the cool things about having a blog site is just the total randomness.  I posted a blog a couple weeks ago about post-hardcore now defunct band Stompbox in my new Times Of Yore posts.

Apparently one of the former band members happened to come across my post and shot me an email asking if I wanted some elaboration on what really happened.  The band member was Patrick, the former bassist of Stompbox.

Well of course I did.  So I interviewed him…

I sent him back an email asking what really happened to the band and what he and the rest of the band members were up to these days.  Here are his responses collectively as I’ve mixed up the few emails we exchanged and categorized them with Patrick’s approval of course.

Stompbox Flyer - Vintage!!!
Stompbox Flyer - Vintage!!!

The reason Stompbox called it quits, what happened to the lead singer Erich, and what direction did the band members took:

The reason Erich left the band is that we asked him to. There are/were rumors flying around that drugs had a lot to do with our breakup, but that’s all blown way out of proportion.  Sure, Erich was doing drugs, (as were most of the rest of us) but it didn’t bother any of us much.  Erich was (and still is) kind of a dick. By “kind of a dick” I mean a real a–hole. In addition to that, he was… …uh, let’s just say he was an inconsistent singer.  When he was on, he was great, but a lot of times he was off. Way off. There’s some live recordings that Jeff has that are just brutal.  Also, we had some very fundamental differences in what we wanted to do musically.

Erich was in favor (and in hindsight, he was probably right) of “giving the people what they want”. All the kids that came to our shows really wanted the “big riff” so they could get sick in the pit and hurt each other, and (except for the part about hurting each other…we were very “Fugazi” about that and stopped a lot of shows when fights broke out etc…) he (Erich) was perfectly happy with that.

The rest of us wanted to be “artists” and “express ourselves musically”.  Again, hindsight (or maybe cynicism) tells me that we were probably foolish.

So, we gave him the boot and changed the name of the band to Slower.  We wrote a bunch of new tunes and did a couple more tours.  We added a second bass player (Mikey Welch, who later was in Weezer for an album) and I took over vocals.  I wish I had some good recordings of that band, but there just isn’t much around.  I’ve got some abysmal recordings from a show we did in Seattle, but it was straight off the board, so pretty much all you can hear is the drums and vocals.  It’s brutally bad.  There’s a tape from a live radio show that I have, but it’s in pretty crappy condition, much of it is all garbled up.  Zephan’s ex-girlfriend supposedly has a ton of live Slower video, but they didn’t exactly break up on very good terms.  I guess when your boyfriend breaks up with you by telling you he married somebody else, it leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Go figure.  Zephan is a phenomenal drummer, but he’s a bit on the self centered side!

We did one tour billed as Stompbox still, and used that to introduce the “new sound” to people who were into Stompbox.  Some people liked it more, some liked in less.  (On one of those tours we played with Jesus Lizard at Peabody’s in Cleveland…David Yow drank me under the table and then went out and played their show. I guess he’s got what’s called an “iron constitution”…Ha! I was so tanked I had to pass out in our van after about two Jesus Lizard songs. Good times!)

After those two tours, we just sort of imploded.

Zephan and Mikey Welch [went on to] play with Juliana Hatfield on her attempt at rocking out called “Juliana’s Pony”.   Jeff is [currently] the musical director for the Blue Man Group in NYC now.

Jeff and Zeph were also in a band called Milligram for a while. The CD called This is Class War is absolutely amazing if you can find it.  [Milligram] had Jonah the singer from Only Living Witness and Darryl from Slapshot/Roadsaw playing guitar. That cd is so good it STILL makes me jealous!  You can download the whole Milligram album This is Class War for free, which is a pretty sweet deal! That website has that whole album, plus the EP they did AND a bunch of punk rock covers.

I was in another band for a while called Placer.  Noisy arty stuff.  We did one CD called Summer on Dopamine Records, a teeny indie label out of Boston.  You can find the Placer album on iTunes.  Even if you don’t want to buy it, you can hear little samples of the songs. I played steel guitar in that band. Oddly enough, when I quit that band, Jeff (guitarist of Stompbox) too over my spot on steel.

If you want to hear what Slower sounded like, Jeff’s got a homemade video up on YouTube.  The sound is from a radio show we did, and you get to hear me totally flub the second line of the song.  Slower was in many ways the opposite of Stompbox.  Stompbox was music that made us laugh with words that were brooding and self indulgent, while Slower was words that made us laugh with music that was self indulgent!  Jeff also did a pretty cool video for “Jake Song” with the original demo track we did. It [can be found] on YouTube too.

These days Erich’s living in Los Angeles. I don’t really know what he’s doing for sure, I think he runs sound in clubs.

I had pretty much dropped out of the music biz after Slower dissolved. I decided that maybe it would be fun to find out what it was like to have money to live on. As it turns out, it’s pretty cool!

I live in Toledo now, and am a stay at home dad. In fact, until about a year ago, we were living in Lakewood, not too far from were you are, I guess.  I used to go to My Minds Eye a lot.  Cool record store.  Bent Crayon too.  I wasn’t a huge fan of Cleveland in general, but I REALLY liked Lakewood. In fact I kind of miss it, which I didn’t think I would when we moved.

The real story about the departure from the record label:

The deal with Columbia was that our A&R person left and went to Maverick. That left us at Columbia with nobody who really cared much about us, so we were sort of in limbo.  Finally, we asked them (Columbia) if they’d let us (Stompbox) go with no strings attached, and they said “Sure!”  Mary (the A&R person from Columbia who went to Maverick) wanted us to come over to Maverick with her, but this was all happening at the same time as we were getting ready to kick Erich out of the band.  After we booted him, she kind of took it personally and said “Oh, well f— you too” and signed the Deftones. (as it turns out, that was a good move…in fact, I still have to say that they were a pretty cool band. I don’t know if they are STILL a cool band, cause that sort of thing can change over time…)

Thoughts about the unofficial Stompbox MySpace Page:

That MySpace thing is pretty funny. I don’t know who started it, but it’s pretty crazy that so many people even remember us.  On the list of Stompbox’s friends, we (the individual former members of the band) are the top four friends. It makes me feel important. (har har)

Videos:

So there you have it.  That was a greatly appreciated dose of information from the source itself.  Patrick, props to you for offering to tell your side of the story.

Funny, Hip Hop, Metal, Music, Music Video, New Release, Random, Rap

Flying High…Literally

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This little update comes from inside a Delta airplane (of course it was posted after we landed). I imagine I am currently over Georgia or Louisiana right about now. I am pleased to say I have enough leg room where I can ramble on for a minute here on the good ol’ laptop. Thank supernatural being of your choice for emergency exit seats!

After playing around with my iPod on what seemed like an endless disappointing shuffle play I have found an album I intend to listen from start to finish.

So what am I listening to?

2Pac/Makaveli – The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory – 10th Anniversary Edition

That’s right folks, I am dipping into some 90’s gangsta rap and loving every second of it. Enjoying a surplus of thug life lyricism, this album brings back some memories. Mostly of the days where all I wanted to do was listen to rap music and thump some bass in my Olds Cutlass Calais.  I was far from gangster but just loved the beats and the bass.  It was a good sound.

2Pac was brought to my attention when I started hanging out with a new crowd after a lot of my friends went to college.  Tupac Shakur just has that smooth rap flow and brilliant writing skills like no other. He was way ahead of his time in the 90’s and of course his life was cut short…  He still lives on.  There is no doubt in my mind that he is one of the most important icons in the rap music history.

So while I am stuck in the plane where I could be listening to something a little more calming, tracks like “Bonnie & Clyde” and “Live & Die In LA” have been thumping in my ears…  I still know most of the lyrics too…good times.

Music, New Release, Rock

Mike Patton & Serj Tankian contribute song for Body Of Lies

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Unexpected but awesome is all I can say about this track featuring Mike Patton (Faith No More) and Serj Tankian (System Of A Down).  The two collaborated to create a track for the new film Body Of Lies starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe.

The song is more vocally Patton than Tankian and it highly addicting to listen to…

Wanna hear it?  “Bird’s Eye” is currently streaming on Serj Tankian’s MySpace page.  It is also available for download on iTunes.

Body Of Lies
Body Of Lies